Canucks pick up five new players at 2024 NHL Draft in Vegas

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The Vancouver Canucks had to wait a long time before making their first selection at the 2024 NHL Draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

The Canucks didn’t pick anyone on Friday because they traded their first-round pick to the Calgary Flames as part of the Elias Lindholm trade. They didn’t have a second-round pick either, due to the Jason Dickinson trade nearly two years ago.

Vancouver made its first pick 93rd overall.

Despite the relative lack of activity, Canucks director of amateur scouting Todd Harvey was happy with the day.

“We had guys that were rated pretty high that were there for us and that made us real excited,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier with the way it kind of played out here on the draft floor today.”

The Canucks made five picks in total, collecting three forwards and two defencemen. Here’s a look at who they added.

Melvin Fernström (Round 3)

Position: Right wing
Age: 18
Size: 6-foot-0, 187 pounds
Nationality: Swedish
Team: Örebro HK J20 (J20 Nationell)
Stats: 45 GP, 31 G, 32 A, 63 PTS

Patrik Allvin used his first pick of the draft to select a player from Sweden. Of course he did. It’s the third year in a row the Canucks GM used his first pick on one of his countrymen.

The Canucks chose Melvin Fernström in the third round, after the 6-foot winger finished third in scoring in the J20 Nationell in Sweden, and piling up points is certainly his calling card. He said he models his game after William Nylander.

The Elite Prospects 2024 NHL Draft Guide describes Fernström as a “player who finds space and times himself well with the play in the offensive zone.” While he has good “off-puck instincts,” Elite Prospects also notes that he lacks quickness and doesn’t have a powerful shot.

“I was very excited [to get drafted by the Canucks],” Fernström told reporters after getting drafted. “Vancouver is a nice city. Nice team. Many Swedish [players]. So I’m just excited to be there.”

Riley Patterson (Round 4)

Position: Centre
Age: 18
Size: 6-foot-1, 192 pounds
Nationality: Canadian
Team: Barrie (OHL)
Stats: 68 GP, 29 G, 33 A, 62 PTS

The Canucks chose another forward with the 125th overall pick, grabbing centre Riley Patterson out of the OHL.

The Etobicoke, Ontario native has “dynamic speed, a quick release, and flashes of NHL-calibre hockey sense” according to the Elite Prospects Draft Guide. They call him “one of the draft’s most exciting mid-round bets.”

Patterson was pretty excited when speaking with reporters after getting drafted.

“I think I blacked out a little bit, to be honest. I’m super pumped,” he said. “It feels amazing. It’s a dream come true. You’ve been working your whole life for this.”

Anthony Romani (Round 6)

Position: C/RW
Age: 18
Size: 6-foot-0, 183 pounds
Nationality: Canadian
Team: North Bay (OHL)
Stats: 68 GP, 58 G, 53 A, 111 PTS

Less than two weeks away from his 19th birthday, Anthony Romani is older than many of the other players picked in the draft. That helps explain why the Pickering, Ontario native didn’t get picked until the sixth round.

Romani lit up the OHL this season, leading the league in goals (58) and finishing second in points (111).

“An ice-stretching transition passer with a knack for perfectly-timed wristers and one-touch passes,” is how the Elite Prospects Draft Guide describes him. “Improved physicality and skating give him a chance to crack the show.”

Romani was in attendance in Las Vegas, but had to wait a while to hear his name called. He called it a “nerve-racking” experience, but it was obviously worth the wait.

“I’m super excited to be a part of the Canucks and super excited to get started.”

Parker Alcos (Round 6)

Position: Defence
Age: 17
Size: 6-foot-3, 181 pounds
Nationality: Canadian
Team: Edmonton (WHL)
Stats: 67 GP, 1 G, 14 A, 15 PTS

The Canucks looked to their backyard for their second pick of the sixth round, taking Port Moody native Parker Alcos 189th overall.

The 6-foot-3 defenceman tallied 15 points (1-14-15) in 67 games with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings last season. He doesn’t turn 18 until next month.

“A tall, smooth defenceman with shutdown defensive potential and a sneaky-good puck game,” is the scouting report from the Elite Prospects Draft Guide.

Basile Sansonnens (Round 7)

Position: Defence
Age: 17
Size: 6-foot-4, 198 pounds
Nationality: Swiss
Team: Gottéron U20 (U20-Elit)
Stats: 40 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 PTS

Switzerland-born Basile Sansonnens doesn’t turn 18 until August, making him one of the younger players taken in the draft today.

With just three points in 40 games at the junior level last season, his stats don’t exactly jump off the page. With that said, he was called up for four games in National League, the top pro league in Switzerland, which is obviously a good sign.

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